(Reuters) -Edison International's southern California utility was hit with a lawsuit blaming the energy provider's equipment for igniting one of the wildfires in California, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.

At least 24 people have died in the fires that began last Tuesday, and more than 150,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes. More than two dozen people are reported missing, authorities said.

The lawsuit is on behalf of a group of homeowners, renters, business owners and others with properties destroyed by the Eaton Fire in the Pasadena area, according to the report.

Edison International's shares were down nearly 13%.

The unit, Southern California Edison, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.